Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has praised Jurgen Klopp's leadership after the Reds opened up an 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Lijnders first moved to Anfield in 2014 during Brendan Rodgers's time in charge, before retaining his position in the backroom staff after Klopp's appointment the following year.
The Dutchman departed in January 2018 to take up a managerial role at NEC, but returned to Merseyside a few months later.
And Lijnders, who is one of two assistants alongside Peter Krawietz, has explained what it is like to work under Klopp.
"Jurgen is the leader and face of the team, the one who defines the character and who stimulates everyone. Pete [Krawietz] is responsible for the analysis and prepares everything in regards to videos which are shown to the players. I’m responsible for the training process.
“Together we decide what kind of aspects we want to develop for the team and then I create the exercises. It’s quite simple; it’s just about the continuing stimulation of our mentality to conquer the ball as quick and as high up the pitch as possible. That element comes back in every exercise. We as staff always try to find ways so the players can be more spontaneous and more creative.
“He was convinced we could conquer a lot together,” he added, explaining what Klopp said to him before his return to Anfield last year. “Jurgen can touch someone straight to the heart. He knows exactly what he wants and when we were on the phone it felt just right.
"He is able to give a completely different perception to a situation inside a few minutes. We lost 3-0 [against Barcelona in the first leg of last season's Champions League semi-final] , but afterwards Jürgen said in the dressing room: ‘The only team in the world who can overturn this defeat against Barcelona is us.’
"It gave the squad a boost, also because of the way we had played that night. When the players walked towards the coach there was already a different feeling.”
Liverpool take on local rivals Everton on Wednesday, before a trip to Bournemouth this weekend.
READ MORE
Lionel Messi wins the 2019 Ballon d'Or: How we've followed the best player of the last 25 years
7 managers most likely to replace Unai Emery as Arsenal manager: Allegri, Arteta, Ljungberg...
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023
‘Ruben Amorim could have waited for Real Madrid and had a better chance to be successful – to have joined Manchester United, he must be convinced in his own ability’ Former Old Trafford coach’s verdict on new boss
